Tool for use on plaster or the like



May 1, 1951 J. EIDEN ETAL Toor.r EoR UsE oN PLAsTER 0E THE LIKE FiledJune 20, 1949 IN VEN TORS ets/e J: Ya/en Patented May l, 1951 TOOL FORUSE ON PLASTER O THE LIKE Leslie J. Eiden, Los. Angeles, and Clifford R.Magers, Tarzana, Calif.; said Eiden assignor to Robert L. Hoffmann, SanJose, Calif.

Application June 20, 1949, Serial No. 100,172

l6 Claims.

about or surfaces are developed or established. 1Q

For certain operations floats having faces `of sponge rubber have beenused and found very satisfactory. Floatsof this type have heretoforeinvolved a board or plate with a sheath of sponge rubber applied theretoby an adhesive, or theV ll like. and in practice this type ofconstruction has not proved altogether satisfactory.

The present invention provides, generally, a plaster working toolcharacterized by a head, a

handle and means coupling the handleto the head, the head being formedof a body of sponge rubber, or the like, having a foraminous metal plateembedded therein. The handle is of simple form involving a grip andstandards projecting i line 2-.-2 on Fig. l.

tional View taken as indicated by line 3 3 on Fig.

y which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tool embodying the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a vdetailed sectional View taken substantially asindicated by Fig. 3 is a transverse sec- 2. Fig. 4 is a plan sectiontaken substantially as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a Viewsimilar to Fig. 3, showing the tool after extensive use or followingremoval of a part of the body to expose the metal core, and Fig. 6 isanend view of the tool showing the head in a deformed condition.

The tool provided by the present invention involves, generally, a heador working element A characterized by a body l of sponge rubber, or thelike, and a foraminous metal core Il within the body, a handle Bcharacterized by a grip l2 and standards I3, and means C coupling thehead A and the handle B, which means is characterized by posts I4projecting from the-head and pins l5 connecting the posts and thehandle.

The head A of the tool is the work engaging from the grip to engage theback of the head., element and in accordance with thepresentin- Themeans coupling the head and handle involves posts anchored to the metalplate that is embedded in the head to project from the back of the headand pins are engaged through eyes on the posts and through bores in thehandle and 301 have threaded ends that receive retaining nuts:

It is `a general object of the present invention t0. provide a tool ofthe general character referred to in which the head has a body of spongerubber, a

or the like, of suitable size, shape and' thickness, 35

while a foraminous plate or sheet of metal is completely embedded in thebody of rubber and is substantially coextensive therewith in order toafford elective backing for the working face of the body -while at thesame time being completely 40 protected or shielded by the body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple dependableconstruction serving to effectively couple a handle to a head of thecharacter referred to. The present invention provides a releasableconnection or coupling between the head and handle which in no wayinterferes with free use of the tool and which connects the handle withthe core or metal plate within the body of rubber, providing a rigiddependable structure.

The various objects and features of our invention will be fullyunderstoody from the following detailed description of a typicalpreferred form and application of the invention, throughout vention itis of simple construction and forma.- tion and involves merely the bodyl0 of sponge rubber or the like and the foraminous plate which isembedded in the body. The body I0 of sponge rubber, or like material,may in practice be of any suitable size or shape, it being preferredordinarily that it be a rectangular element with a at'bottom or workingface 20 and a back face 2| parallel with the working face. The side Vandend edges 22 may be plain and flat, as shown throughout the drawings.The body l0 may vary considerably in thickness, it being preferredgenerally that the body be of such thickness as to receive theforaminous plate or core Il, as shown throughout the drawings, and sothat there is a working section X of the body below the core or betweenthe core and the working face 20' of such thickness as to give the toolthe desired body. It is further desirable that there be a'v portion Y ofthe body I0 above the foraminous core or between the core and the backface 2|, to provide an eiective pad protecting the users hand or fingersfrom the foraminous core.

The core Il as provided by the present invention is a plate or sheet ofmetal completely embedded in` the body l0 and in plan configuration itis somewhat smaller than the body IU so that its several edges 25 arespaced inward somewhat from the edges 22 of the body and are therebyprotected by the edge portions of the body.

Where it is desired to provide a body I with a flat working face 2D, asshown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, it is preferred that the core IIbe a fiat sheet metal body or plate, in which case the portion X of thebody between the core and the working face 2() is of uniform thicknessthroughout. It is to be understod that, if desired. the body A may beother than flat and by empolying a core II of sheet metal the body maybe given any desired shape within reasonable limits by simply deeotingor deforming the core, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

In carrying out the present invention the core' II is preferablyprovided with a multiplicity of openings or perforations through it sothat it has the general appearance of foraminous sheet metal such as iscommonly known as metal lath. It is preferred, however, to employ a corewhich is somewhat stiffer or heavier than ordinary metal lath, and inthe form of the invention illustrated the core is such as to have smoothtop and bottom faces 3) and 3 I, respectively. If foraminous metalplates such as are commonly used as metal lath are employed in carryingout the invention, the faces of the core may be rough or irregular.

rIhe body of sponge rubber, or the like, and the foraminous sheet metalcore II are permanently combined or joined into a unit by molding,vulcanizing or otherwise handling or treating the material of the body lso that the core II is embedded or incorporated in the body I0 withportions of the body II] occupying and continuing through theperforations of the core to thereby integrally bond the portions X and Yof the body. Through thus embedding the core in the body the parts areunited so that the body will not separate or peel from the core as isthe case where attempts are made to secure facings of rubber or the liketo backings or bodies of metal or wood, through the use of adhesivesdesigned for such purpose.

The handle B has a grip I2 that may be shaped and proportioned to beconvenient for the hand of Va. user and the standards I3 of the handleproject from the ends of the grip and have enlarged ends or baseportions 35 which engage and bear upon the back face 2| of the head A.Itis tol be understood that in practice the handleB may be varied'widelyin form and construction and it may be formed either as a unit or as afabrication emplcyingany suitable material or materials as circumstancesrequire.

The means C Aprovided by the present inventionfc coup-le the handle Bwith the head A involves two pairs of posts I4 extending from the coreII oi the head to project from the back face 2| of the head at pointsspaced so that the. posts receivey the standards I3 of the handle. Inthe preferred form of the invention the posts I4 are permanently orintegrally joined with the metal core Ii of head A. In the drawings theposts are shown as integral continuations of bars 4I) which areintegrally joined to the core I-I by Welding' material 4I.

The posts I4 of each pair are spaced apart to snugly receive a standardI3 of the handle and in the case illustrated an apertured part or eye 53is provided on the upper end of each post. The standard |31 or handleportion occurring between the posts is provided with a transverseopening or bore 45 and a pin I5 is carried between the eyes of the postsand extends through thebore 45. The vpin is provided at one end withahead 4E engaging one eye and is threaded at the other end to carry arretainer A1. The retainer- 6l shown in the drawings is in the form of awing nut threaded on the pin to engage the eye that occurs at thethreaded end of the pin. xThrough the-construction just described thehandle is effectively connected or coupled to the head A of the tool andthe parts may be proportioned so that the portion Y of sponge rubberbeneath the base portions 35 of the handle are compressed somewhat whenthe handle is coupled to the standards, with the result that thestructure is tightand is without clearance beneath the standards of thehandle where foreign matter might accumulate.

In -using the tool provided by the present invention it is gripped bythe handle B and it may bernanipulated in the manner of an ordinaryfloat to work or handle plaster or other like material. As above pointedout, the head A may be used while nat, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, or ifdesired it may be shaped as circumstances require. By employing a sheetmetal core Il of material that can be bent or deformed the tool can bebent into and out of various positions at will. It is to be understood,of course, that if desired Pthe core I l may be made of a rigid or heavymaterial so that it remains fiat and is not subject to deflection. Afterextensive use of the tool the portion X of the body I0 may be worn downor away, leaving a part or parts of the core II exposed or, if desired,such removal of the body A may be accomplished deliberately in order toexpose the core. With the core exposed the tool can be used to advantageas a scratcher or in performing' operations quite different from thoseordinarily performed by a float.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of ourinvention, We do not wish to be limited or restricted to the Specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to ourselves anyvariations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art,and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described .our invention, We claim:

i. A tool of the character described including, a head with back andfront faces and including, a body of rubber-like material in the form ofsponge and a rigid foraminous core in the body and completely coveredthereby, and a substantially U-shaped handle having an elongate gripportion and standards at the ends of the grip portion and engaged withthe back of the head, the said body having exterior surfaces at thefront and back of the head exposed except at the points Where thestandards of the handle engage the head.

2. A tool of the character described including, a head with back andfront faces and including, a body of rubber-like material in the form ofsponge and a rigid foraminous sheet metal core in the body andcompletely coveredthereby, and a substantially U-shaped handle having anelongate grip portion and standards at the ends of the grip portion andengaged with the back of the head, the said body having exteriorsurfaces at the front and back ofthe head exposed except at the pointswhere the standards of the handle engage the head, the core being thesole rein-V forcement for the said body.

3. A tool of the character described including, a head with back andfront faces and including, a flat body of rubber-like material intheform of sponge and a rigid foraminous core in the body and completelycovered thereby, and a substantially U-shaped handle having an elongategrip portion and standards at the ends of the grip n a head with backand front faces and including,

a body of rubber-like material in the form of sponge and a rigidforaminous core in the body and completely covered thereby, asubstantially U-shaped handle having an elongate grip portion andstandards at the ends of the grip portion and engaged with the back ofthe head, the said body having exterior surfaces at the front and backof the head exposed except at the points where the standards of thehandle engage the head, and means releasably connecting the handle andhead including, posts xed to the core and projecting from the back ofthe head and removable fasteners connecting the posts and the standardsof the handle.

5. A tool of the character described including, a head with back andfront faces and including, a body of rubber-like material in the form ofsponge and a rigid foraminous core in the body and completely coveredthereby, a substantially U-shaped handle having an elongate grip portionand standards at the ends of the grip portion and engaged with the backof the head, the said body having exterior surfaces at the front andback of the head exposed except at the points where the standards of thehandle engage the head, and means releasably connecting the handle andhead including, posts fixed to the core and projecting from the back ofthe head and removable fasteners connecting the posts and the standardsof the handle, there being two posts at each standard adjacent oppositesides thereof, and each fastener being engaged through a standard andwith the posts at opposite sides of the standard.

, 6. A tool of the character described including, a head with back andfront faces and including, a body of rubber-like material in the form ofsponge and a rigid foraminous core in the body and completely coveredthereby, a substantially U-shaped handle having an elongate grip portionand standards at the ends of the grip portion and engaged with the backof the head, the said body having exterior surfaces at the front andback of the head exposed except at the points where the standards of thehandle engage the head, and means releasably connecting the handle andhead including, posts fixed to the core and projecting from the back ofthe head and fasteners connecting the -posts and the standards of thehandle, there being two posts at each standard adjacent opposite sidesthereof, the posts having openings through them at parts opposite thestandards and each fastener being a screw fastener with a pin portionslidably engaged through a standard and through the openings of theposts adjacent said standard, a head on one end of the pin portionengaging the post at one side of the said standard, and a nut threadedon the pin portion and engaging the post at the opposite side of saidstandard.

LESLIE J. EIDEN. CLIFFORD R. MAGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,825,080 Morford Sept. 29, 19312,126,948 Dewhirst Aug. 16, 1938 2,259,653 Mitchell Oct. 21, 1941

